Ethernet wall jacks not working?

[mo.adrienne]

I've got this setup at the hub point :

Comcast modem > Apple Airport Extreme router > switch > cat5 cable hubs that run to all rooms in the house.

I cannot get the jacks to activate. I can get internet if I hardwire the router through the switch directly to a computer - so I know it's working. But I can't get juice through the wall jacks. Any thoughts here? I reset my Airport but still nothing as I set it up. Thanks!

 

[Wolfshadw]

Is there an input on the cable hub? I would think all you need to do is connect the WAN output from the modem to the hub. Can you take some pics and post them here?

-Wolf sends

 

[Doctor Rob]

I would see if the wall jacks are actually connected. there is cheap tools to make sure the cables are actually connected.

 

[kanewolf]

Can you provide a picture of the "cat5 hubs"? Some people mistake phone hardware for ethernet hardware ..

 

[mo.adrienne]

Great questions - thanks. Here are some photos - apologies for the wire insanity, not organizing or building anything to clean it up until I know it works.

The jacks were originally phone jacks but I've changed them to ethernet keystone inserts in each room. I'm not sure how to test the inserts to make sure they're all good - I do have an ethernet cable tester but it's for boy ends, not girl ends, if that makes sense. That is, I can plug cables into it but not test the fidelity of the inserts. Is there a tool that does that?

Here are some photos of where they all come out of the wall and how I've got the cable (from the outside) plugged to the modem, to the router, to the switch, and down through the house.

Thanks again.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UphJok7WY8xFRo7JloDy6ES9Goy6ojVO

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19IJo2GK5-bh238ljBE53PrO8-Eh_XQGM

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1m3ly4G60YIp2lo84NrdviKT02N1tjc5P

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T3rI3salvIrkcHS5dEcHsn-8zwROVMqu

 

[SkyBill40]

Dumb question here, but did your switch come with any specific drivers or is it just functioning as a pass through? Also, a non CAT-5 phone cable potentially lacks all of the necessary wire connections to carry the full signal, so this may be a problem and require running new cables. I can't say for sure, but having done some telecom work previously, this does come to mind.

Edit:

Just found this in another thread here at Tom's:

"RJ-11 is a phone/analog connection. It uses 2 pairs instead of 4, so 1 RX and 1 TX. Depending on the pairs being used, an RJ-45 to RJ-11 may not work, unless you splice the cables, or use a jack, but since it is an apartment, I wouldn't recommend. You will be getting really terrible speed if you use RJ-11 and powerline as well."

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/40530-42-networking-rj11-rj45

 

[mo.adrienne]

Yeah, these are great points.

The switch is a "TP-Link 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch | Plug and Play | Metal | Desktop | Limited Lifetime (TL-SG108)" that 1) should be good to go without drivers and 2) yes, is just a pass through.

The blue wires have the full four pairs of wires that indicate capacity for gigabit speed/rj45 connection (instead of just two for phone). That's my understanding of the difference but if there are others, I'm all ears.

Dumb question here, but did your switch come with any specific drivers or is it just functioning as a pass through? Also, a non CAT-5 phone cable potentially lacks all of the necessary wire connections to carry the full signal, so this may be a problem and require running new cables. I can't say for sure, but having done some telecom work previously, this does come to mind.

Edit:

Just found this in another thread here at Tom's:

"RJ-11 is a phone/analog connection. It uses 2 pairs instead of 4, so 1 RX and 1 TX. Depending on the pairs being used, an RJ-45 to RJ-11 may not work, unless you splice the cables, or use a jack, but since it is an apartment, I wouldn't recommend. You will be getting really terrible speed if you use RJ-11 and powerline as well."

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/40530-42-networking-rj11-rj45

 

[mo.adrienne]

I just rotated each end through the LAN ports in the Airport to skip the switch and try to plug directly into the router. Still no juice to the jacks - so I'm thinking it's got to be something with the way these in-wall wires are terminated or set up. Tricky - thanks, all for your brain power. I'll keep at it.

 

[bill001g]

Its hard to tell but I strongly suspect the color pairs are wrong. Now technically you can use the wrong color wires and it will still work but both ends need to be done the same.

From what I can see the right most pair is orange/orange-white. This would be fine BUT the plugs in this switch are upside down so that pair should have brown wires. If the wall jacks are using the more standard wire colors you have the brown and orange pairs swapped.

It also appears these cable were terminated by someone who does not do it often. The plastic jacket is suppose to be crimped inside the jack, it help prevent the wires from being pulled loose.

 

[SkyBill40]

Just so I'm clear here: The blue wires... are coming from your wall/box and were pre-wired to be connected to your switch, yes? Or, did you run the cables and crimp the connections yourself? If you were to do some rudimentary troubleshooting and tested each connection with a direct path to your modem and/or AirPort, you'd be removing the switch from the equation. If at that point something isn't working, it may be the cabling itself or the RJ45 connector not being properly seated on the wires from the CAT5.

Just some thoughts.

 

[mo.adrienne]

Not sure what happened with these before me - I literally just pulled them out of the wall like this - but looks like someone (someone probably just like me) tried some DIY networking. I'm going to double check the wiring on these and loop back around.

 

[kanewolf]

Great questions - thanks. Here are some photos - apologies for the wire insanity, not organizing or building anything to clean it up until I know it works.

The jacks were originally phone jacks but I've changed them to ethernet keystone inserts in each room. I'm not sure how to test the inserts to make sure they're all good - I do have an ethernet cable tester but it's for boy ends, not girl ends, if that makes sense. That is, I can plug cables into it but not test the fidelity of the inserts. Is there a tool that does that?

Here are some photos of where they all come out of the wall and how I've got the cable (from the outside) plugged to the modem, to the router, to the switch, and down through the house.

Thanks again.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UphJok7WY8xFRo7JloDy6ES9Goy6ojVO

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19IJo2GK5-bh238ljBE53PrO8-Eh_XQGM

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1m3ly4G60YIp2lo84NrdviKT02N1tjc5P

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T3rI3salvIrkcHS5dEcHsn-8zwROVMqu

You really need to purchase a simple tester -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CI9NRM/ You plug the main unit in one end of the cable and the included remote on the other end.

You want 8 wires straight through using the 568B color code.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Great questions - thanks. Here are some photos - apologies for the wire insanity, not organizing or building anything to clean it up until I know it works.

The jacks were originally phone jacks but I've changed them to ethernet keystone inserts in each room. I'm not sure how to test the inserts to make sure they're all good - I do have an ethernet cable tester but it's for boy ends, not girl ends, if that makes sense. That is, I can plug cables into it but not test the fidelity of the inserts. Is there a tool that does that?

Here are some photos of where they all come out of the wall and how I've got the cable (from the outside) plugged to the modem, to the router, to the switch, and down through the house.

Thanks again.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UphJok7WY8xFRo7JloDy6ES9Goy6ojVO

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19IJo2GK5-bh238ljBE53PrO8-Eh_XQGM

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1m3ly4G60YIp2lo84NrdviKT02N1tjc5P

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T3rI3salvIrkcHS5dEcHsn-8zwROVMqu

Bring your computer to the hub. Take the Apple device out of the loop. Run the Ethernet cable directly from the modem to the TPLink switch. Test each port of the switch by running an Ethernet cable from each of the 8 ports directly to the computer's LAN port. Chances are if you have Internet access from one port, you'll have it on each port, but test each one just to be sure.

After testing all eight ports, add the Apple device back into the loop and retest each port on the switch. If you still have Internet access then the problem is the wiring between the TPLink output ports and the Ethernet jacks in your home. If this is the case, then the tester that Kanewolf suggests would probably be a good idea.

-Wolf sends

 

[806chau]

OK, sounds like to me you just came to this house, and made certain assumptions. This can be frustrating for someone who's never deal with this before, don't know how much "remote support" folks here can give you, may need a professional. How much do you know about CAT cables, cable pairs, 568a/b. Do you have tools to test continuity and how to use? do you have tool to punch wires on jacks, do you know where the junction box and have access to it?

 

[mo.adrienne]

You all are awesome. Solutions embedded in multiple posts here.

First - yes, whoever put the keystones on the ethernet wires did it backwards. So I rewired all of them.
Second - went to Lowes, bought the tester that was suggested (I had to re-rewire a couple). It also let me isolate one bad pair in one of the outlet inserts. I also had one bad store-bought ethernet wire that would have taken forever to isolate without it. Lifesaver multiple times over.

I've got internet coming into all the rooms now - just have to organize this mess that's in my closet now. Off to look at cabinet/mounting solutions. Many thanks, all!